In an ecosystem where most flowers are long and bell-shaped, there are two varieties of hummingbird: birds with short beaks and birds with long beaks. What is the most likely hummingbird population composition? (1 point)

only short-beaked hummingbirds
© more short-beaked hummingbirds
more long-beaked hummingbirds
only long-beaked hummingbirds

1 answer

In an ecosystem where most flowers are long and bell-shaped, the hummingbirds with longer beaks would have a better adaptation for accessing the nectar in those flowers. This would likely provide them with a greater feeding advantage compared to the short-beaked hummingbirds. Over time, due to natural selection, the population would likely consist of more long-beaked hummingbirds, as they would be more successful in feeding and reproducing in this environment.

Therefore, the most likely hummingbird population composition is:

more long-beaked hummingbirds.